"-and thus brings us to the last topic of our faculty meeting, the Hero School Banquet tomorrow."

"Tchughhh." Snipe scoffed in annoyance as Hound Dog shook his head side to side on on the former's left. "The HSB, hate this damn thing."

"As we all know every year U.A is invited by the Safety Commission to send three of our students, third second and first years, to attend a banquet where every major hero school in Japan will be in attendance." Principal Nezu informed as he straddled the back of Thirteen's helmet with one leg on each side of the glass. "Three students from each school are sent to the banquet to represent their institution as press and media reporters will also be present to interview some of the students for feedback of their daily lives at the school. U.A, Shiketsu, Ketsubutsu, those in Hiroshima, and those in Tokyo will all be present at the banquet this year."

"Tokyo?" All Might asked. "That's not common from what I've heard of. It couldn't be because of my recent retirement could it?"

"Oh but indeed it is. We don't know for certain but we believe it's because the Safety Commission are looking to ensure valuable replacements will come in the year's graduates to assist in filling the hole that you left behind. Then ensuring the following years will be suitable to full in the spots of those graduated."

"In other words lookin' at the soldier instead of the man."Snipe stated. "Man I hate this damn thing why's we gotta send three of our kids to this event every year just for them to be scouted like toy soldiers? Y'all ain't got issues with that?"

"Well you've never had issues with it before." Midnight commented. "So why now?"

"Come on miss you know damn well why we gotta be concerned about it this year, they're tryin' to move these chicks up to the front lines when they ain't even had a full chance to spread their wings yet. Sure the third year's gon' be cool with it, the second year might be okay with the idea but the first? Our first years ain't had a damn chance to act like normal high schoolers they been rustled up every damn five seconds with something goin' on. USJ this and villain attack on their camp that, it ain't right."

"Agreed." Hound Dog said. "It's clear the Commission are attempting to mobilize our students in preparation for something that might be coming. Our third years can hang in there with even the pros but when it comes to our first and second years, they're not prepared. They need time."

"We don't have any." Eraserhead said. "This year alone is clear proof that the villains are bolder than ever, even before All For One's takedown they were a constant threat to our students. It's going to be worse now without a proper leader to file them into ranks, who knows what kind of tricks they're going to pull now that All Might's gone. Like the Commission or not we don't have any other choice but to follow along with their procedures. As always we'll send three of our most trusted students to attend the banquet, it won't be any different. However, Snipe. I don't recommend Togata for this."

"Yup, I was thinkin' the same thing about this. Togata's the closest one to being at the top outta all of us but if he ain't got no Quirk, chances are the Commission ain't gonna take too kindly with that. I ain't sending Amajiki either, boy shudders more than a herding dog looking at a sheep for the very first time in their life. I'm sending Hado for this one."

"I agree." Midnight nodded. "Hado's the ideal pick out of the third years. She's cute, she's friendly, and her track record at Ryukyu's office has gained her reputation as a formidable sidekick. They'll eat her right up. As for the second years?"

"Mawata Fuwa, without a doubt." Cementoss answered with a nod from Ectoplasm. "While lacking in combat abilities and strength compared to her other classmates Fuwa is the ideal choice when it comes to a supporting role on the battlefield. She's level headed, easy to communicate with others, can string together a team to functionally work well with each other, there's no better pick for this."

"Seconded." Ectoplasm supported.

"And now that leaves us with the choice of who our first year will be." The Principal noted. "Aizawa? Vlad?"

"I push for Kendo on this one." Eraserhead recommended. "Out of all the top students we have in the first year roster Kendo seems to be the most suitable for this decision. As Representative she's shown her level of maturity many times throughout the school year. At the Sports Festival she surrendered her position in the tournament for Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki without a moment's wait, very few others would do something like that. From word that I've heard amongst her peers she's considered as the 'big sister' to them, somebody who they can trust with something no matter how big or small."

"You're not recommending any of your own students for this one?" Midnight asked. "That's a bit insulting isn't it?"

"Call it what you want but none of my students are ideal choices for this. Iida's too uptight with the rulebook, the Commission are gonna see him as somebody who blindly follows along with whatever he's told to do and quite frankly I'm not in the mood for having any of my students be turned into mindless soldiers like Nomu. Yaoyorozu's a fair Vice Representative but she's still a victim to her youth, there are still times where she downplays herself in comparison to some of the other hitters in her class like Bakugo or Todoroki. She's not a good pick for this, none of my students are. Which is why I'm setting in stone my decision for Kendo on this one."

"Hmmm...I'd have to disagree on Kendo for this choice."

"Vlad?"

"Kendo's a good kid no doubt about that." Vlad commented. "She's a fine choice for Representative and role model for her classmate but something tells me we need something bigger. If this is for the Safety Commission to see what kind of students are going to be filling the pro hero spots in the future we're gonna have to send somebody who can make a name for themselves with a single action. Somebody who time and time again has proven those around him false in their estimates and fits the ideal mold of what it means to be a hero. As All Might said it himself, there's no greater qualification to becoming a hero than self sacrifice. And we all know who's given the most to fulfill that qualification."

"...NO."

(The Next Afternoon)

"Huhhhhhh."

"Um, S-Sensei?" Midoriya inquired as he looked up to his homeroom teacher who glared at him with annoyance. "Is something wrong?"

"Not that I can have any say in it."

"Alright y'all listen up now." Snipe spoke in a tone of voice to grab everyone's attention. He along with Cementoss and Eraserhead as well as Hado, Fuwa and Midoriya all stood at the exterior of U.A's West Entrance with all three students in formal clothing of matching tones. Both girls wore a grey colored shoulder less dress with a bell that reached down to just below their knees with flats and a rose pinned between their left ears. The boy wore a button up grey long sleeve with matching slacks and shoes, a red bow tie fastened onto the front of his collar. "In a few minutes y'alls ride is gonna be here to take you to a banquet hall about an hour away so before they do lemme tell y'all what's going down.

This is the annual Hero School Banquet sponsored by the Safety Commission. Every year the Commission holds this banquet for every big hero school in Japan to send three students, one from every year, to attend this banquet as Representatives of the sort. Aside from your friendly rivals Ketsubutsu and Shiketsu, schools from Northern Japan and other cities like Tokyo will have their students be in attendance of this banquet as well. The banquet is essentially a big ol' interview-fest so there's gonna be a bunch of reporters takin' your pictures askin' you questions all that stuff. Before, this was a means for the world to see what student life was like in these big schools and what kind of heroes are gonna be flockin' about once they graduate. Now? Hrmmm, 's different now."

"We believe there will be a change in how the reporters might act and behave around you students due to the recent retirement of Japan's top hero." Eraserhead added. "It's possible the Commission might be using this year's banquet to ensure suitable replacements are going to come at the end of the school year. After all, the public is still skeptical about Endeavor and what he works for.

In the past questions would normally revolve around how you're taking life at your school, what kind of experiences you've been through and what sort of hero you want to grow into. Now, things might be different. The reporters might attempt to hit you with harder questions that are going to put what you're really worth to the test. If they do, don't panic. Just answer the questions to the best of your abilities and don't lie about anything. They'll know whether you're being honest about something or not. Remember everything you say has a chance to be placed on public headlines so be wary about how you behave while you're there. You're representing U.A on your visit, and our reputation is already shaky enough from this year alone. We're trusting you three."

"But aside from all the pressure of this event it's most important to have fun and engage with the other students." Cementoss said. "After graduation those other students are going to be your allies out on the field when you become pros, get to know them. Outside of Ketsubutsu and Shiketsu you'll find that some of the other schools are actually quite interesting."

As they waited for their vehicle to arrive Midoriya nervously exhaled while attempting to adjust the awkward angle at which his bow tie sat on his collar, his fingers shakily toying with the fabric unable to get a good grip on it. After several moments of fumbling with the bow tie another pair of hands much slimmer and delicate than his own came into view, looking up to see Hado standing in front of her junior as she tended to the accessory. "S-Sorry I-I'm just really, really nervous right now."

"Hm-hm, it's okay Izuku. I understand." Hado assured. "Being honest I'm a little bit nervous too but at the same time it's gonna be really REALLY fun going to something like this. Being able to see all of the major hero schools in Japan in one place and having the opportunity to meet them sounds super exciting. I get you can be a little shaky about an event like this but I promise you it's gonna be so fun once we get there."

"Have you done this before?"

"No, but one of my friends was the third year who got invited to it. She said it was SUUUUUPER weird seeing like all the other hero schools and their themes cause you know how we have like matching colors right and Fuwa and I have matching outfits? Well some of the other schools have entire themes going on like uhhh, OOH I think I remember her saying there was a school from the North that was very military-esque they had dress wear and everything. Sounds nifty."

Hado managed to adjust Midoriya's bow tie to sit perfectly in front of his collar, smoothing out a small crease over his heart while smiling at him. "This will be over before you know it, 'kay Izuku? And if you feel like you might trouble getting used to it well, you have Fuwa and I to be there with you. This is gonna be fun, I promise."

Midoriya exhaled a little easier this time around, finding Hado's voice and words to be soothing the nerves in his fingers. Not that he was surprised, he was always at his most calm whenever he was in her company. Well, calm AND ecstatic about being around her but nevertheless calm in the end. Then again at this moment he's not sure if he could be calm considering what she was wearing. Her dress was nothing skimpy not even close, but the amount of skin she was showing up top combined with how smooth and easy the main part rode along the curvature of her waist was oddly...sexy. How can somebody who's as cute as possible also be just as sexy? Then again Hado exists so by that logic anything would be possible.

Down the block and making a right turn onto the street, a black limousine cruised towards the heroes before it rolled to a slow halt on the curb with the rear driver's side door as close as possible to them. "Yeah nice ass limo for the students but when the teachers get called for something we gotta be crammed in a small car like a buncha rodeo clowns. Alright you three in you go."

"Remember to just be yourselves, don't overdo it with any fake personalities or anything." Eraserhead informed as Snipe opened and held the door for the three students to enter the vehicle. "Your actions are being monitored by the Commission so behave properly."

CLUNK*

KNOCKKNOCK*

Once the last student entered the vehicle Snipe knocked against the door to the signal the driver's go ahead in taking off, the limo rolling into a cruising speed and driving away from the heroes. From the back of the limo Midoriya watched his three teachers become further and further away before he turned back in his seat and breathed deeply, his hands clenching onto the fabric of his slacks with tension. "O-Oh boy."

On his left Hado giggled as she held onto the outer and inner of his arm. "Oh relax Izuku it's gonna be fun! We're gonna be able to see so many students from different schools oooooh I can't wait to see them all! I hear there's a school in Tokyo where their students have shoulder capes on their uniforms with different colors."

"Tokyo High For Heroes in Leadership." Midoriya confirmed with a gulp. "Y-Yeah, they're like, the best at what they do when it comes to leading other heroes. Different colored capes mean the different levels of skill each student displays when it comes to being a leader. White is baseline, blue is above that, red is above that and gold is the highest a student there can achieve. Only one student can have the gold cape though, and it means they can have authority of leading big pro hero teams when it comes to major operations they participate in. But even those with the white colored cape are able to effectively coordinate and mobilize some of the smaller-time pros. Right now the gold cape belongs to a second year, w-we might see them at the banquet if they attend."

"Oh wow, you really know a lot about other schools far from here don't you?" Fuwa noted. "That's awesome."

"Thank you, but o-only cause the idea of a high school dedicated to producing leadership-fit heroes is a cool idea to me. Let's just hope none of them are snarky or think they're above everyone else. Sorry I don't think we've met before I'm-"

"Izuku Midoriya, yeah I know. I watched you perform at the Sports Festival and I've been a big fan ever since."

"Wha-REALLY?" He asked with wide eyes. "Y-You've been a fan of me?"

"Yeah!" Fuwa smiled. "I think people like you are exactly the kind of people that deserve to be heroes. Being able to push on with the fight and ignore the pain that's trying to bring you down, stuff like that's super admirable when it comes to being the kind of hero everybody will look up to. Never giving up until the wall in front of you is knocked down is awesome stuff for someone. I wish I had the kind of strength to fight like you do, I'm not really that strong."

"Hrmmm..."

Midoriya turned away from Fuwa to see Hado with her arms crossed and a small pout in her face with eyes looking out the window. "Nejire?"

The girl shut her eyes and completely turned her head away from the first year. "Hmph!"

Midoriya could only be in question as to why he was being ignored, leaning back into his seat as he attempted to play out the infinite amount of scenarios in his head and figure out how to respond to them. This question being asked? Reply it with this answer. That question being asked? Reply it with that answer. But, what if it called for the other way around? What if that question was supposed to be answered with this answer? And what if this question required that answer? So many moving parts so many uncertainties fluttering about it was too much for him to simply take a single piece and really focus on it. And he couldn't stop the shaking in his hands either, please deities above stop the shaking in his hands.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA-"

The boy's attention was snagged from his right, looking to see an anime being showed from the second year's phone that was held on her lap. Detecting the first year's gaze over her Fuwa turned down the volume by a few ticks and smiled at him. "Sorry, was it too loud? I didn't get a chance to catch up to this anime since we were getting ready. It's my favorite, Part 2's the best."

"N-No." Midoriya assured. "It's okay. If anything, probably helps to have some noise in here."

And help it was because for the entire ride towards the banquet hall there was complete silence aside from the noise coming from Fuwa's phone, something about a road roller being slammed over another who knows. After an hour of riding in silence the students felt the speed of the limo go from slow to slower as they all looked outside the right windows to see if they had arrived. Judging by the ever increasing population of citizens on the outside followed by a distant noise of a press mob, they have.

Chaos, absolute chaos was what Midoriya saw as the limo rolled through the street towards the entrance of the banquet hall. So many cameras so many microphones so many flashing lights that were disorienting even through the tint of the glass. He could feel the pressure mounting on his chest it was like an elephant had suddenly sat on him, the air being squeezed out of his lungs with no room to take any back in. The mob of reporters and cameras soon parted as the rear driver's side door rolled to a breach in the mob where a long silver carpet led into a giant building that lit up the sky like a giant candle, a trio of another boy with two girls strolling down the carpet and towards the entrance.

"Wowwww." Fuwa ooh'd. "Look at all these reporters. Feels like I'm a celebrity or one of our top heroes. We ready?"

"NO."
"Let's do it."

"Well, no time like the present then."

And with that Fuwa gripped the handle and pulled it back, opening the door where the world suddenly became a flash of a white light and a reporter swarm.